1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wheel cover support pedestal and, more particularly, to such a support pedestal which can be mounted in a central hole in a radial wall of the wheel which in turn is capable of snuggly receiving a circular hub element of an axle when the wheel is mounted on the axle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While there have heretofore been a number of devices employed to provide support for a wheel cover at the center of a wheel, they have tended to include features that have limited their applicability to specific wheel designs and/or wheel mounting configurations.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,061,400; 4,179,163 and 4,221,435 disclose cup-shaped support pedestals which include a flanged, circular base which is to be mounted or pressed fitted into a central, circular hole in the radial wall of a wheel. However, for some wheel configurations, the axle is provided a piloting flange which is closely received within the hole when the wheel is mounted thereon. In fact, the size of the flange and size of the hole is so close in some cases that the wheels have had a tendency to "freeze" on the flange complicating removal of the wheel from the axle. In these configurations, there is simply not enough space for the inclusion of such a cup-shaped pedestal.
Accordingly, some support pedestals had been designed to be secured to the wheel at the threaded lugs used primarily to secure the wheel to the axle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,733; 3,918,764 and 4,274,679 disclose such arragements but produce the added disadvantage of complicating wheel mounting and removal since the pedestal must also be mounted or removed with the wheel.
Still another wheel cover support pedestal design employs lug nuts for basic support but in a manner which does not require that the pedestal be mounted with the wheel. U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,266 discloses a pedestal having notched leg portions which are installed in the grooves of specifically designed lug nuts after the wheel is mounted. Although the pedestal can be mounted or removed without disturbing a wheel already mounted on an axle, this configuration requires special lug nuts and still must be removed before the wheel can be removed.
Because of the problems encountered with the wheel "freezing" on the piloting flange mentioned hereinabove, a number of wheel manufacturers have begun to provide notched or scalloped holes in the annular wall of the wheel. Such an arrangement allows sufficient contact area with the piloting flange for proper alignment and mounting of the wheel while reducing the liklihood that the wheel will seize or "freeze" on the piloting flange. In any case, there remains a need for a wheel cover support pedestal which can be simply installed on a wheel without interfering with the mounting or removal of the wheel or needing any special wheel mounting configuration.